


A Haunted Christmas

by ETNMystic



Series: Our Eternity Together [16]
Category: Our ETerNity Together (Web Series AU)
Genre: F/F, revival, someone be like "surprise bitch. i bet you'd thought you'd seen the last of me."
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: A mission ends some of the group up at the North Pole again, which totally doesn't give them bad vibes or anything.Oh yeah, and the elves from last year.....might be there.And they might be pissed.
Relationships: ETNMystic (Fandom RPF)/Ivy Flora, ETNMystic (Fandom RPF)/The Mystic | Andrea Russett
Series: Our Eternity Together [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1337809
Comments: 26
Kudos: 3





	1. Everything Is Not What It Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting out jolly for most, but for some, things are not as they seem.

The second I'd gotten through that portal, bodies appeared. Which sounds very morbid if you consider it. Well, they were more like shadows than bodies. I found myself trying to gather balance as one body slowly began to unwrap from its shadow. I was about to check on them, but something caught my attention.

A giant, coffin-shaped package wrapped in Christmas paper.....but not just Christmas paper. Something seemed off. In a demonic way.

_I guess this is what Ravyn meant._

I felt something tugging at my dress. I looked down to see to see a tiny elf girl. I don't know how she got out so quickly, but at this point, I wasn't going to question it.

"Open it," Sugarbelle told me, pointing at it.

"You want me to open the coffin?"

She nodded.

"I'll start," she volunteered.

She ran over and started tearing off the wrapping paper like a kid on Christmas. However, she seemed uneasy about it all as well, so she was very quick to get it off.

I rushed over.

"Something's off," she gulped.

"You sense it too?"

She nodded again.

"Scary Christmas."

"I know," I said, not wanting to reveal the whole reason for being here.

"Open it," she urged me.  
"Quick."

I went around to the lid and, with some effort, pushed it open.

I nearly dropped it when I saw who it was.

"H-huh?! You're.....they weren't.....!"

I couldn't get the words out as they opened their eyes.

"Mystic?!"

I could barely contain my mixture of excitement and fear as I cried out their name.

"Cyrille!"

I quickly yanked her out of the coffin and hugged her, tears falling down my face.

"Holy shit. I thought you were a goner! What the fuck happened?"

She blinked.

"I....honestly I have no clue. My soul was basically yeeted from my body--"

All of a sudden, she stopped. It was only a moment or two later before she returned.

"Just the High Bitchess shrieking," she shrugged with a smirk.  
"Anyway, they basically just yeeted my soul from my body."

_"Mama?"_

We looked over to see a small tiger emerge from the unraveling shadow.

"When the fuck did that get here?!" Cyrille exclaimed.  
"What the fuck did I miss? Where the fuck are we?"

"I don't know. A lot. And I'm not entirely sure," I answered.

The tiger began to shake the shadow but pulled back when it started enveloping their paws.

"This is bad...." Sugarbelle gulped.  
"Really bad."

"....Yeah, I'm with Babey Elf here," Cyrille said.  
"Something's wrong."

Finally the shadow uncovered.

"Delta!" I called out.

She slowly stirred and pushed herself up.

"Mystic! Sugarbelle!.....Stranger I've Never Met Before," she exclaimed, a little confused on the last one.

"Cyrille," Cyrille introduced.

"Delta," Delta introduced.

"Jasmine," the tiger introduced.

"Sugarbelle," Sugarbelle introduced.

"A walking pile of trash," I introduced.

"Trash can't walk," Sugarbelle pointed out as more shadows started opening up.

"I'm guessing you appeared after I died," Cyrille told Delta.

"Probably. Wait, you died?!"

She nodded.

"I was the one chosen to become a vessel for this coven's High Priestess."

"She died second. Kyrie was first."

_"What about me being first?"_

Another shadow unveiled itself, as did my guilt.

"Kyrie!" Cyrille exclaimed.

"Cyrille!" she gasped excitedly as she stood up.

My stomach churned as everything returned to my mind.

"Kyrie....." I gulped.

"Mystic!" she smiled before noticing my guilt.  
"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I replied.

I tried to shake it off and gave a less-than-convincing smile.

_"Oh my."_

And the next to appear didn't help matters.

"Genevieve!" Kyrie and Cyrille exclaimed.

_"Wha....what happened?"_

Another stood up, one I was pretty sure I could trust.

"Alice," I smiled and ran over to hug her.

As we hugged, we also felt a soft fluffy coat, smelling of cinnamon rolls.

"Hey Ro," I chuckled.

"'Oy! Where are we?"

My heart thumped in GAY as that voice entered my ears. Someone else I could trust. Cyrille's heart seemed to be thumping in GAY as well. Immediately I rushed over to Ivy and hugged her as tight as I could.

"Missed ye, love," she smiled before giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Oh," Cyrille's voice dropped in disappointment but then perked up again.  
"You got any other relatives, whoever you are?"

"This is Ivy Flora," I giggled.  
"She's my girlfriend."

_I can't believe I actually said that!_

_"What the fuck is up, Kyle?!"_

Andrea Russett went over to Cyrille.

"It's been a while," Cyrille chuckled.

My heart also thumped in GAY as I saw Andrea.

"Mystic!" she gasped.  
"Oh thank God, you're okay!"

"I'm okay? Forget about me. Delta, are _you_ okay?"

She weakly gave a thumbs-up, but I glared at her and she sighed.

"I mean, to be fair, it's not entirely a lie; you just saved me from becoming the next Izuru Kamukura."

Fuck.

"Junko Enoshima's here?!"

She nodded.

"I wasn't even her first choice, mind you. She wanted you first."

"Why do you sound sad about that?" Alice asked.

"Well excuse me if I want to be a first choice for something."

"Girl, you need to get your priorities together," Nikita scoffed.  
"Also who's the furbaby?"

Delta, hearing this, proudly picked up the tiger.

"This is Jasmine," she beamed.  
"She's been keeping me company while I was being held captive. You can thank Cindy and Mikan for it later."

"Wait, Cindy?" Nikita blinked.  
"You mean that snake bitch who could've killed me? Why should I be thanking _her_? She's evil."

"Tell you what," Delta spat back.  
"You try being stuck in a cell for weeks with no idea of when you're gonna get out before finally getting a gift, even if it's from a villain, and _then_ tell me she's evil."

I could tell that Delta was just straight-up done with everyone and anyone's bullshit.

_"What the hell?"_

I looked to see one of the other writers emerge from her shadow alongside a bear-shaped shadow.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"I'm Montana," I nodded as more of us emerged.  
"I don't know why I'm here, but I'm here....wherever this is."

I nodded.

"Good to know."

"So where are we?" Andrea asked.

"And what are we wearing?" Teala wondered.

I looked to see that they were all horror versions of Christmas characters.

"Oh cute," Nikita said to Bretman.  
"You're Rudolph."

_More like Werewolf Rudolph._

I could tell by the looks on Cyrille, Delta, and Sugarbelle's faces that I wasn't the only one who saw a feral reindeer/wolf hybrid with glowing red eyes. Even Ro had a look of unease on her face, as did Ivy. This confused me. Why just us? Why did no one else see how creepily jolly this place is.

"Where even are we?" Safiya asked.

I looked over at everyone.

"Beats me," Andrea said.

"Door!"

Sugarbelle pointed at a door just up ahead and ran for it.

"Sugarbelle!" I called after her as I dashed after her. 

I could hear the group after me. I caught up to the elf babey as she was reaching for the doorknob. 

"Sugarbelle, you don't know what's beyond there."

"Only one way to find out," she argued.

I blinked.

_I mean, she's not wrong._

I reached for the doorknob and turned it.

"Aww! This is cute!" Matpat said.

"It's so Christmas-y!" Alice called.

It didn't look cute to me. It looked demented, but in a subtle way, as if it slightly went past the uncanny valley. And I could tell exactly where we were.

We were back at the North Pole.


	2. Delilah Fletcher's Coming To Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet ourselves a new face. 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Cute?

CUTE?

How was any of this cute? It looked like Hell had been eaten and then spat out by Christmas. Were the six of us the only ones seeing it?

"I'm not going anywhere near--."

"!!!"

I jumped and whirled around as two people jumped into consciousness, or just here in general.

"God fucking dammit!" Candy Pop grumbled, still stuck in Alice's body.  
"Another Christmas saga. And knowing the narrator, it's gonna be sickly-sweet."

"I'm sorry, what the fuck is going on?" Cyrille asked.

I took a deep breath.

"These two got mixed up. Alice is in Ciel's body and Candy Pop is in Alice's body."

"And I want my body back," he grumbled.  
"I hate being in here."

I started looking around.

"Hmm....I can't seem to find it, can you, CP?"

"Find what?"

"Where the flying fuck I asked for your opinion."

I smirked as he seethed at me.

_"Excuse me?"_

We all turned around to see a woman wearing a Christmas dress-or that's probably what they saw. I saw vampires trying to look festive and so did the other five. But everyone else seemed to admire it. Except for Candy Pop, who was getting ready for the sickly-sweetness of Christmas.

"You all seem quite lost."

The woman had sort of a British nanny voice. A very sweet one, calming and caring.

_What weapons do you have hidden in your nursery, Massacre Poppins? Huh?_

"Um, nah, we're fine," Cyrille said quickly.

Clearly she saw through it too, though I had a feeling that both of us had some doubt.

"Where's the exit?" Candy Pop asked.

The woman sighed.

"I'm afraid we're snowed in at the moment. No one can come in, nor can they go out."

"Oh, well maybe we can help," Alice offered.  
"And then we can get out of your hair."

The woman approached her, and I could tell Alice was immediately relaxed by her presence.

"Now? Oh nonsense, my dear. You just got here. You must be rather peckish and fatigued, aren't you?"

At that moment, Alice gave off an adorable yawn and nodded.

"A bit, yes."

The woman smiled and turned to the rest of us.

"You must all be rather peckish and fatigued as well, correct?"

Everyone seemed to feel it, even those of us who saw that something sketch was possibly up, but I was _not_ relaxed by this woman. And yet Candy Pop was?!

"She's right," he yawned.  
"We just got here. It'd be rude for us to leave."

The seven of us looked at each other in shock. Since when did CP care about manners?! And why were _we_ the only ones bothered by that?!

"Lovely," the woman giggled, clapping her hands together.  
"Now, my name is Delilah Fletcher, and I'm very much looking forward to getting to know you all. Please follow me to the dorms."

Cyrille and I did the NO meme face to one another as the others seemed to skip off.

"We all agree that there's no way in hell that this woman is as nice as she seems, right?" I asked when they were out of earshot.

"Yup," Delta nodded fearfully.

"Mm-hmm," Sugarbelle gulped.

"'Undred percent," Ivy nodded.

"Oh yeah," Ro agreed.

"Does Tom Nook want your kneecaps when you don't pay off your debt?" Cyrille asked.  
"There's your answer."

"Something's amiss with Miss Fletcher," I said.  
"And I don't like it. I don't like it one bit."

"But what _is_ amiss?" Sugarbelle asked.

I gave this some thought.

"What about how relaxed everyone got all of a sudden?"

"And how Alice started yawning after she asked if she was feeling tired," Cyrille added.

"And how CP actually cared about manners," Delta said.  
"That's a red flag right there."

We all nodded in agreement.

"So then why is it just us six?" Ro asked.  
"Why do only six of us see that something's off about this whole thing? What do we have in common that the rest of them don't?"

We looked around at each other, trying to find some sort of commonality, besides us all being in this predicament.

"No clue," Sugarbelle shrugged.

"It's stumpin' me too," Ivy sighed.

"Well, we're all girls," Delta said, petting Jasmine who'd fallen asleep in her arms.

"Yeah, but if that were the commonality, then _all_ of the girls would be seeing beyond the smoke and mirrors," I said.  
"But it's _just_ us six girls. Height's out of the question, so's age and nationality. Hmmm."

"Hmmm," Ro wondered.

"Hmmm," Sugarbelle wondered. 

"Hmmm," Delta pondered.

"'Mmmm," Ivy pondered.

"Thinking noise," Cyrille said in a similar tone, which caused us all to snicker and then burst out into laughter.

We spent a good five minutes calming ourselves before trying to figure out what we'd all have in common. Hair color was out, so were weight, zodiac, MBTI, Enneagram, skin color.

"Ugh!" I cried out after about 10 minutes.  
"I'm stumped."

The other five agreed. 

_"If you're trying to find your way to the dorms, I'm more than happy to escort you."_

We all turned to see Miss Fletcher. 

"Why on earth did you stay behind?" she asked in a concerned, and somewhat hurt, tone.  
"I made you all hot cocoa and cookies."

"Um..." I gulped.  
"We're not that hungry actually."

She giggled.

"Of course you are, my dear."

She gave my nose what I assumed was supposed to be an endearing tap, or a boop as we call it, but I did _not_ feel endeared. Quite the opposite in fact. And just as she said that sentence, I felt my stomach growl. 

_What sort of demonic witchcraft?!_

"Come along now," she said to us. 

But the majority of us were stubborn bitches. Sugarbelle was the first to follow. Then Ro after a good minute. Delta was next. Cyrille and Ivy seemed to be battling it out for second place, but in the end, Cyrille caved. It was just Ivy and I.

"Oh do come along," Miss Fletcher told us in a soothing voice.  
"I promise I don't bite."

But Ivy and I weren't having it. We were rock-hard stubborn bitches.

"I'll be back for you two later then," she giggled before looking at the rest.  
"In the meantime, let's get you little angels to some hot cocoa and cookies, shall we?"

And she lead them away.


	3. A Seventh Set of Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new face appears.

It was only Ivy and I left. And thank God that it was. Even though we'd established our relationship literally twenty minutes ago, I still felt shy around her, like a sweet high schooler getting her first crush. 

And apparently it showed.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked.

She giggled.

"Yer just so cute, love."

I could feel my face heating up as I looked down at the ground and shook my head shyly.

"C'mon. I know ye are," Ivy insisted.  
"If ye could see yerself as I do, I fink ye'd at least consider it."

"I really don't look that cute."

"It's not solely 'bout looks, love," she said.  
"Ye do 'ave the adorable face an' eyes, but personality counts fer it as well."

"My personality isn't cute," I argued.

"Yer finkin' the same fing as I am, aren't ye, love?" she asked me gently.

I nodded.

"Something's up for sure, but it's still hard to figure out why it's just us six."

She nodded in agreement. I decided to go back down to where everyone first appeared. I went over and laid in the coffin.

"Love?" Ivy asked in concern as she approached me.

I sighed.

"Just...just shut me in this coffin. Don't ask any questions. Just shut the lid and wrap it back up. I would very much like to be unalive right now for getting you all sucked into this."

"What d'ye mean?"

I felt the tears of guilt return, and I turned on my side. Ivy reached out and wiped them off before rubbing my back.

"'S'okay, love, just take yer time."

It took me a few moments to calm myself before I explained.

"There was a candle and I wasn't supposed to let it touch the ground, but it did. So I got teleported to this witches' cottage and I couldn't leave because I'm a virgin and the spell that they placed would keep virgins trapped inside. So then there was something to do with Halloween and Christmas getting mixed up and they have a token so I got permission to come here so that I can fix this."

Ivy gave me a confused and surprised look.

"Wait. So this 'ole creep factor's cause a two 'olidays mergin' togevver?"

I nodded.

"That's why everything seems off to some of us. I just don't know why it's just us six. If there's any sort of pattern, it's not all too obvious."

"Yeah."

I lay in the coffin for a bit, just kinda, you know staring into oblivion, waiting for Discount Mary Poppins to return. I had a strange feeling that she knew that we had some intuition, at the very least, about what was going on. I figured it was also possible that maybe she knew the pattern of who could and couldn't see through the illusion. Though part of me was beginning to doubt myself. Was this holly-jolly Christmas setting an illusion? Or was what us six seeing the illusion instead? Either way I needed-no, we needed-an answer. 

All of a sudden, I heard a flashing sound and I perked up.

"What the hell?"

I looked over to see another silhouetted body. It was smaller than the majority of us. 

"Huh? Why did one appear much later?" I asked.

"No idea," Ivy shrugged.

After stepping out of the coffin, I cautiously went over to investigate. The shadow soon began to peel away only to reveal.....more shadow?

_Oh wait.....that's just black fabric. But who--?_

_"Ugh....what sort of drug trip did I get put under?"_

Both of us looked at each other as she began to stir.

"Lydia?!" we asked.

She looked up. Sure enough, it was Lydia Deetz.

"Oh hey," she greeted.  
"You're....uh....Plant Lady and Miss Protagonist, right?"

I shrugged.

"Ivy and Mystic, but close enough. Anyway, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same quest---"

Something seemed to catch her attention. Standing up she rushed down to the end of the hall and peeked through the door, Ivy and I following behind.

"What kind of Halloween-Christmas nightmare--?"

"Wait....you see it too?" I asked in disbelief.

"See what?"

"About six of us keep noticing a demonic sort of Christmas aura or something. Of course I was kinda sorta warned about it beforehand, but---"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute! What do you mean you were 'warned about it beforehand'?"

I sighed.

"These witches told me that since Halloween hasn't been celebrated, it's combining with Christmas and they let me go fix it because apparently this is being powered by one of the token pieces we need."

She blinked, seemingly confused.

And rightfully so.

"Sorry. I'm....still new to this whole thing....why do you need that token piece?"

I sighed. I guess it couldn't be helped.

"Because they're what's keeping the Cursed God tethered to the mortal world, more specifically Everlock, but because his armies are......actually I dunno if they're growing, but I think it's a safe bet. As I was saying, since he's still able to access the mortal plane, he could still persuade me into marrying him and giving him consent to use my magic to open the barrier between reality and fiction."

"Well, what happens if he succeeds?"

I blinked. That was actually a really good question. Why was this such a bad thing? What made this something that needed to be dealt with so immediately?

"I....I honestly don't know....." I confessed.  
"I need to talk to the Society Against Evil about it.....if I can trust them, that is...."

"What d'ye mean by 'if'?" Ivy asked.

"Well....it's not much evidence to go off that they're suspicious. It's just something deep down. They haven't really provided us with much help. And I've been thinking; maybe the list Chiaki gave me was wrong......maybe the traitor--"

"Traitor?" Lydia asked.

I huffed. I had a feeling that this was going to happen a lot.

"When I was brought to the sanctuary for the SAE, a few months after, someone infected our water supply with a strange parasite. Whoever drank the water became compelled to protect me at any cost."

"That's an oddly-specific symptom," she commented.

I nodded.

"After a mass infection, Safiya, Matpat, Rosanna, and I all escaped with the current writers into the sewers below where we met up with Genevieve, this really posh hypnotist. And she told us that there was a possibility that there was a traitor among us."

"Just see if any a them vented," Ivy joked.

I snickered a bit.

"Not the time, love. Not the time."

She smirked as I continued.

"So anyway, I feel like maybe the list of people Chiaki Nanami, someone who's currently MIA, told me might be wrong."

"So then....the tokens?"

"Right......see, we have to destroy them all at once."

"How many are there?"

"....Jury's kinda out on that one. We thought 7 at first, but apparently there's 8. And the 8th is a who, not a what."

"So....the token's inside of them?"

I nodded.

"Seems likely."

"....You realize that means you're gonna have to kill them, right?"

"Yes, but also I one, realize there's a possibility we can get it out _without_ killing them, at least I hope so, and two, am pushing it to the very back of my mind until it's actually time to kill them."

She nodded as we heard footsteps come our way. Soon enough Discount Mary Poppins was back with that smile on her face, which only got wider when she saw Lydia, who looked uncomfortable.

"Ah, a new face! And such an adorable one as well!"

Lydia blinked at her confused.

"Um...thanks?"

Delilah beamed.

"You look quite hungry."

Cue stomach rumbling, but Lydia was still unfazed.

"Come along. I have hot cocoa and cookies waiting," Delilah said.

"I'm allergic to Gluten and Dairy," I said.

"Oh don't worry, poppet."

_Who says that word anymore?!_

"These are Gluten and Dairy free. Now come along. I don't want to leave you behind."

We sighed and reluctantly followed. I eyed her the entire way there, waiting for something suspicious to happen.


	4. Boil and Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy issues.
> 
> (CW: Slight gaslighting?)

Well, nothing suspicious happened on the way there. There being a room that looked more like a Christmas nursery if Satan had decorated it. Everyone else, except for Cyrille, Delta, Sugarbelle, and Ro seemed to be settling in fine. Even Candy Pop was smiling. How was no one freaking out except for us?!

"Mystic," Alice beamed after she swallowed a bite of a Christmas cookie.  
"You made it!"

"Of course she did!" Delilah said.  
"I wouldn't want to leave any of you behind."

"Mmmmmm," Kyrie sighed.  
"This is some _amazing_ hot cocoa."

Delilah beamed once more. 

"Why thank you, dear. I made it with love."

Normally CP would be gagging, but this time he was cooing and hugging a teddy bear. My eye twitched.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," I whispered to Lydia.

"Yeah, no kidding," she whispered back.  
"This is like Hell."

Something else I noticed was that they were also wearing was I assumed was supposed to be cute Christmas clothing, but for whatever reason, the outfits looked satanic. 

"Love," Delilah sighed.  
"Such a fundamental aspect of _any_ relationship. Whether it be platonic, romantic---"

She moved over to Delta and booped her nose.

"---or maternal."

Delta jumped a bit, and I just stared. Something about that got my blood boiling. I tried to calm myself, but my irritation pushed through.

"And mine is especially maternal, especially to you."

She turned to the writer.

"Just _look_ at how cute you are! With your wide eyes. That button nose. And those rosy cheeks. Oh, simply adorable! I could eat you up."

As the "awws" went around the room, except for us 7, I could feel my blood boiling and bubbling even more as this bitch fawned over Delta. But.....I didn't understand why. I shouldn't have cared, but I did. And for a moment, I thought to myself

_Why her? Why is **she** the one being fawned over? What about me?!_

Was this what Delilah wanted? Did she want to pick a favorite out of the rest of us to turn us against one another?

......Well, it didn't _seem_ that way. Lydia looked kind of sad, but that was about it. The rest just looked weirded out. Why was I the only one who felt angry?

"Oh? Are you alright? You look quite red," Delilah said.  
"And you're trembling rather profusely."

I looked to see that she was talking to me. That was when I felt the agonizing tension in my fists and my fingernails practically digging into my palms. Mustering up as much strength as I could, I slowly unclenched my fists and tried to hide my feelings.

"Never better," I said, with a bit too much resentment. 

Smiling she turned back and fawned over Delta some more. I could feel that green-eyed monster stabbing me in the back as I just flopped onto a bottom bunk bed and gritted my teeth. 

"You all enjoy the hot cocoa and cookies," she giggled after a while.  
"But after that, right to bed. It's getting very late. I've set out pajamas for you all. Once you're finished with them, I want you all to brush your teeth and go right to sleep. Promise?"

"We promise," most of them beamed.

Even Delta seemed eager now as she skipped out of bed and went to the bathroom to put on her PJs. I stayed in my bed, refusing to even *look* at the PJs when I heard someone whisper in my ear.

"What's the matter, Lil Miss Mary Sue?" Candy Pop sneered.  
"Can't handle giving someone else the spotlight for once?"

A few nearby people snickered. I swear I even heard Alice snicker a bit.

"Lay off," Ivy snapped.

Satisfied CP went to brush his teeth. 

"Somefin' the matter, love?" she asked me.

I huffed.

"I don't know.....it doesn't make sense to me.....just...seeing Delilah fawn over Delta like a mom would fawn over her own daughter.......it just made me feel......it made my blood boil."

"What about yer real mum?"

I sighed.

"We....don't have a great relationship. In fact, it's mostly kind of rocky."

"Nice excuse for not wanting to give up the spotlight," Montana scoffed.

"Maybe you should learn to share for once," Kyrie snickered.

Ivy glared at them and they went off, giggling.

"I just....I don't get it....." I huffed as Ivy hugged me close.  
"I was suspicious of her the moment we stepped in here. Why do I care that she's fawning over her now?"

Ivy shrugged.

"Maybe she likes te focus in on one person each day?"

As much as I wanted to believe that to be the case, something in my mind told me otherwise. 

"I think you're just overreacting," Alice told me.  
"She's been sweet to us since we arrived."

I shook my head.

"No....there's no way I'm overreacting."

"Mystic," she sighed with a hint of annoyance.  
"It's the first night here. Just give her some time."

"She's right," Ro said sitting on edge of the bed and rubbing my hand.  
"I get that it feels horrible, but maybe she's just especially warmed up to Delta. Besides the poor girl's rarely been seen. And while you definitely deserve to feel loved, so does she."

I nodded.

"Of course but.....something feels weird about this....."

Ivy gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I fink maybe gettin' some sleep may 'elp a little, love."

Once everyone was finished, Delilah tucked them all in, passed right over me, and spent _a lot_ of time making sure Delta was comfortable before bidding us goodnight. I tried to push the frustration out of my head, but something wouldn't let me. It felt like Delilah was plotting against me. But at the same time, were the others right? Was I just being selfish? Was I right? Was I wrong? What was happening felt like gaslighting, but in the back of my mind for the past God-knows-how-long, I had consistently considered whether or not I was being selfish for taking the spotlight all the time. Parts of my mind kept fighting for control of which thought was right, and both sides were equally persistent.

Needless to say, it was a sleepless night.


	5. Mystic's Orchestra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get angsty and I get the short end of the stick for once.
> 
> Aka I'm so sorry Alice and Delta. I know you'd never really be mean to me, I'm doing this for plot and character development reasons.
> 
> (CW: Gaslighting, emotional abuse, bullying, physical abuse, injury)

And after that, it didn't get much better.

"Who wants breakfast?" she beamed the next day.  
"I made pancakes!"

Most of the others rushed over right away. I tried to find a way in, but I kept getting pushed back. Ivy helped me up and had me wait until it was clear. She gave the other six their pancakes before turning to leave.

"Hello?" I exclaimed.  
"I'm hungry too!"

She whirled around.

"Oh," she said snarkily.  
"I forgot you were here."

She just thrusted a plate of pancakes at me as most of the others giggled. Even Delta seemed to be falling into the majority, which began to worry me. 

"Hey!" Lydia snapped.  
"What's your deal, lady?!"

"That was mean!" Sugarbelle added.

At least the other five were there to comfort me.

* * *

Day 3 was when we started working. How the elves didn't see us I have no clue. Must've been in a separate area. Promising to call us in alphabetical order, she went right past my name, saving it for last. While Delta got to be in charge of sweets.....

"Hey, you forgot about me," I spoke up.

"Oh, you?" she huffed.  
"*You're* working in the coal mine."

She just thrusted a helmet and pickaxe at me. 

"It's about a mile from here."

I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating, but I could've sworn that I saw a tear in her eye. And then she left.

"A...a mile?" I gulped.

"Oh stop complaining," Colleen scoffed as she worked on a nightgown.  
"You've had to walk much further."

"Yeah," Safiya agreed.

"Leave her alone," Ro snapped.  
"Walking a mile isn't easy."

"Yeah!" Cyrille agreed.  
"Especially in winter."

Sighing, I tried to look around for something I could use to keep myself warm. The only things I could find were a light coat and some surgical gloves.

"I guess they're better than nothing."

I trudged through the snow, which went up to my knees, the pickaxe too heavy for me to carry and the helmet like lead on my head. 

_This must be kind of like how Vanya Hargreeves felt. Except **she** didn't have to walk a mile to a damn coal mine. In the fucking snow._

When I got there, I found that there were wooden bars hammered onto it. And I had a good guess as to why they were there.

"That fucking bitch," I mumbled under my tired breath.

I tried to lift the pickaxe, but after a mile of walking, my muscles were aching and I was cold as hell. After about ten minutes, I just decided to try to pry them off. Grabbing the first one, I felt something pierce my skin. Wincing in pain, I tried to pul at it, which only drove it in deeper. By the time I had it halfway off, my hands were covered in my own blood. Tears were streaming down my face, the tracks freezing almost instantly. I felt my fingers going numb, but because of the splinters, whenever I tried to rub them for heat, it would just drive them in deeper.

This went on for some time.........

* * *

I opened my eyes to feel a tugging sensation in my hand. Turning my head, I saw Ro, Ivy, Cyrille, Sugarbelle, and Lydia looking over me. Ro had a pair of tweezers in one hand and my hand in the other. 

"Wha...what happened?" I groaned.

Ivy nearly screamed in relief.

"Oh fank God! I fought ye were a goner fer a second!"

Tears raced down her face as I felt a painful yank.

"Ah!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry," Ro apologized.  
"There are still quite a few of these."

"What even happened?" I asked.

"Ivy found you unconscious by the coal mine," Lydia answered.  
"You were all blue and I think you had frostbite as well."

I huffed as Cyrille put a warm compress on my face.

"What's her deal?" I rasped.  
"Why is she abusing me, and why are you the only five to come to my defense?"

Cyrille shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Awful lady!" Sugarbelle exclaimed angrily.

"Definitely," Ivy nodded.

"Whatever the reason, you don't deserve it," Ro added.

The other four nodded in agreement.

* * *

Days 4, 5, and 6; just the same. Being forgotten at breakfast, trudging to the coal mine, splinters, bleeding, frostbite, passing out. Only they were getting worse and worse each day. Delilah had gone from snarking at me to yelling at me for doing one single thing wrong, which would give me a fucking panic attack which would only make her yell at me more, to outright ignoring me, and the tear illusion seemed to be getting stronger. And what was worse was that only Ivy, Cyrille, Lydia, Sugarbelle, and Ro seemed to care or stand up for me. The rest of the group just....seemed to be getting meaner and meaner to me. But I was just stewing in my own self-doubt so much that I didn't think much of it. 

It wasn't until Day 7 when those five had retrieved me from the coal mine for the fifth time in a row, only this time in a fucking blizzard, when it hit me. Everyone else was returning from work as jolly as ever, of course not to me.

"Wow, lying around _again,_ Mystic?" Kyrie scoffed.

"Way to do your part," Montana added.

"Just forget about her," Alice snarked.   
"Little Miss Perfect Protagonist is just angry because she can't have her precious spotlight anymore."

Hearing this, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped as the laughter was at its loudest by this point. I _knew_ that Alice would never say something like that. Something was up.

"I'll be right back," I growled.

I launched out of bed, not caring when I heard the snap of the splinter. I power-walked to the door.

"Oh, so _now_ you can get up?" Delta snarked.  
"What happened to when you had to work?"

This made me stop. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said as I approached her wearing fancy silk pajamas, my volume escalating.  
" _You're_ not the one who has to walk a mile in knee-deep snow to a coal mine with a door that always has wooden boards nailed on it. _You're_ not the one who has to pry off those boards every single day and get blisters stuck in your hands. _You're_ not the one passing out in the snow and getting frostbit. No, _you're_ that bitch's perfect little angel who can do no wrong, aren't you?"

"Oh stop complaining," Delta scoffed.  
"You're just not used to being treated normally."

"Being treated normally doesn't mean being gaslit by 95% of your friends every single day!"

"Tough luck, buttercup," she sneered.

My eyes widened as the laughter escalated to its loudest with the other five trying to get them to stop. I knew they were yelling, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I didn't even care that the others were laughing. It was what Delta had just said that lit my fuse. 

_Tough luck, buttercup........_

Those three words echoed in my mind as I thought back to _her_ text. I didn't know why I had applied. I didn't even remember applying. I didn't want to go to the dean's office alone to talk about my suicidal ideation. You were supposed to be a best friend. You were supposed to be there for me, but "tough luck, buttercup" was all you could fucking say?!

A surge of seething anger raced throughout my body as the memories flooded back to me. I clenched a fist as the wrist of my other hand trembled. What happened next.....I know I shouldn't have done it, but not only did I feel some major resentment to the situation, but those three words had been stuck in my mind since May of 2016. I was seeing red by this point, and at the time I didn't care what the consequences were for it. I just....went on autopilot.

It all went in slow motion for me. I winced as I felt the force I applied to her cheek plunge the splinters in to my fingers even deeper, especially the ones near the joints. The crack of my hand against her cheek echoed and bounced off the walls of my mind. My face was boiling hot. 

When things sped up back to normal, Delta clasped her cheek and started bawling; the others were glaring at me. After asking the other five how they reacted, Cyrille was torn between being upset and being proud. Ivy was proud of me. Ro was concerned and angry, but not entirely angry at _me_. Lydia was smirking and nodding, arms folded, pretty proud of me. And Sugarbelle looked like she was about to cry. But at that moment, my focus was only on Delta. And after the three words she gave me, I decided to give her three words of my own.

"Go to Hell."

Once again, my body went on autopilot as I ran out of the dorms. I essentially blocked out all sound as I ran around trying to find a way out of this nightmare. I couldn't take this emotional abuse any longer. I didn't care who I was leaving behind at this point, I had to find a way out. I had to get that token piece. I had to---

"AH!"

I cried out as I felt something stab me in the back of the neck. Fumbling around, I pulled it out to find two tranquilizer darts.

Wait....two?

I began to feel dizzy as the world split into two, then three, then four. I stumbled around, my head beginning to hurt and my vision becoming blurrier. I could vaguely make out the sounds of echoing footsteps before I saw a figure in a vampiric Christmas dress in my vision.

_Come to yell at me for passing out, have you?_

That was my final thought just before my head hit the polished wooden floor.


	6. Heel-Face Turn?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............

_Warmth........_

When I woke up, there was warmth. And softness. And comfort. I couldn't feel the splinters anymore. 

I was about to burst into tears of relief when I realized that it felt _too_ warm and _too_ soft.

_"Oh good! You're awake, darling!"_

That voice......it was too familiar. It was the one I'd planned on talking to. Had Delta passed out from me hitting her face?

No. When I opened my eyes, I saw _her_ standing at the side of a bed covered in stuffed animals, the bed I was in, smiling warmly at me. Unlike the others, this smile seemed different to me. I don't know if it was a delusion or not, but it seemed more genuine. Confused I looked around to see who she was talking to. That was when I heard her giggle.

"Oh, aren't you just adorable?"

Whirling my head back around, I blinked and look at her.

"What the simulated heel-face turn?" I exclaimed.

Delilah tilted her head.

"Oh, it's not simulated, my precious girl. I'm being quite sincere."

I felt a mixture of anger and confusion. 

"Sure," I spat.  
"Says the one who made me work in the coal mine! Do you know how many splinters I got?! How much frostbite I probably have?!"

Hearing this she frowned ruefully.

"I'm so terribly sorry to have to do that to you, but it was the only way."

"The only way to what?"

"For you to feel resentful against them."

Hearing this, my eyes widened.

" _You're_ the one who made them act this way?!"

She nodded.

"I had to make sure you felt as love-deprived and as alone as possible. Trust me when I say I felt such immense guilt each time, my darling girl, but there was no other way."

So the tears _weren't_ illusions?! Or was this a trick?

"Hold up, what are you talking about?!" 

She sat down on the side of the bed. 

"It was the only way that will guarantee my plan will work."

"What plan?"

She smiled gently.

"To make you my daughter, of course."

"......"

For a few moments, I was left speechless. _Another_ Cecelia? I thought Delilah adored Delta. I was so busy wondering why she switched gears right the fuck out of nowhere that I didn't see her reach out until I felt her petting my head.

"I could sense that you had a need for a mother figure from the moment I laid eyes on you. And I have a need for family love as well, so it's simply meant to be."

"But.....you were doting over Delta."

She gave a musical chuckle.

"Only as a façade. She was a vulnerable pawn, needing to feel seen and loved. I couldn't pass that opportunity up."

A pit formed in my stomach and my throat as my eyes watered up with guilt. I'd hit someone who was being manipulated and lied to just like I was, and not just that, someone who was _constantly_ being manipulated or ignored. I tried to hold back my tears, but something inside of me seemed to be forbidding me and I began to weep out of guilt and a bit of fear.

"Oh, my sweet, precious darling," she cooed, hugging me close and still petting my head.   
"This is why you'd be the perfect daughter. You care about your loved ones so deeply."

"Why....how....?" I stammered, trying to figure out why I couldn't keep my tears down.

"I gave you some medicine to help you open up a bit more. Children aren't afraid to be emotionally vulnerable."

"I'm _not_ a child!" I objected through tears.

"You are to me," she said soothingly.  
"And once I give you enough affection energy, you'll not only be my sweet little girl, but you'll be my sweet little girl for eternity."

"E-Eternity?!"

"Yes, of course. It would break my heart if you were to stay a mere mortal."

"Mortal?!"

She gave a little giggle.

"I guess it would be a surprise. I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell an energy vampire from a regular one."

Vampire?! Well....this was a first. I tried to stop my tears, but she kept petting my head.

"Shhhh," she soothed.  
"Just let all those tears out, my little darling. Mother's here to keep you safe."

It was a long time before the tears were even close to stopping. 

"Unfortunately," she sighed.  
"That first dose of the vulnerability serum won't be enough for it to be permanent. It'll take a lot more in your case."

And the tears began again, this time I didn't even try to hold them back. 

"I don't want to be emotionally vulnerable forever!"

This seemed to surprise her.

"But doesn't it hurt you to keep all of your emotions bottled up inside? It's not healthy."

"I don't care! I can't be emotionally vulnerable. I just can't."

This time I felt the tears come back again, but I used every ounce of strength I had to keep them at bay. 

"I see," she said.  
"You're afraid of being hurt and betrayed."

I nodded weakly.

"And it's only gonna hurt me to stay with just you."

"Oh, it won't be with just me," she said.  
"Your friends will stay as well. And worry not, Ivy can still be your girlfriend. I know that your relationship is purely romantic. And I know it would hurt you to be kept away from them when they care about you so much."

"Wait....so....you're not planning on them being cruel to me anymore?"

"Not even in the slightest. I've turn that energy off. Sure, there's a blank in their memories, but they are now their true selves, well most of them. The demon probably won't be. Aside from him, they'll just be pacified to stay here for eternity. And we can bring the rest of your friends here as well. Oh, just imagine how lovely our lives will be. We can watch movies, cuddle together, make treats, play with toys, read new books, it'll be Christmas and Halloween here forever. But the best part will be all of the affection that we'll extract and exchange."

I looked at her in horror.

"Extract?!"

"Well, not exactly extract, so much as absorb. You'll become an energy vampire like me, but unlike regular vampires, we don't just take; we also give. On top of it, the more they are fond of you, the more affection they produce. And the more affection they produce, the more fond they are of you. And it's not hurting them by any means. Plus you'll be able to manipulate their thoughts and senses to your desire, my dear. That way they'll produce more affection and they'll never want to leave here. It will be a paradise free of anxieties. You could stay a child forever here. I'd just have to keep you away from Sugarplum and the others."

I heard that name and gasped.

"Y-You know them!?"

She nodded.

"I managed to get stuck here on one of my many flights. They had no power source, so I used a small token piece I'd found on my travels. They told me about how you were supposed to be the one powering the North Pole and I promised them I would bring you to them if I were to find you. But when I saw you, I sensed your need for a maternal figure you could depend upon. I decided right then and there that I can't let you get captured by them."

"And so you abused me?!"

"It wasn't easy for me, I promise. I had to send you to the coal mines because it was out of the way of their line of work. No one had used that mine in years and each night, I had to go out and board up the doors to stall for time."

I pushed her away.

"You still _abused_ me! What kind of mother would do that?!"

I was infuriated and she looked hurt, but I didn't care. 

"I know," she sighed.  
"I'm not fit to be a mother with a plan like that, and I _truly_ am sorry. But I want to be a mother. I want to be _your_ mother. I'm willing to make it up to you however you wish."

"Give us the token piece and let us go free."

"...... _Almost_ however you wish."

I growled angrily. At that moment, I heard a _ding!_ sound from the room next door.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.  
"That must be the coffee cake. Wait right here, darling. You'll be the first to have a piece just as soon as it's cooled down."

She left the room. Immediately I started throwing the stuffed animals off of my bed. I don't know how long I was doing that for but.....

"Mystic!"

I stopped as Delilah came back into the room.

"Such a naughty child, throwing your stuffed animals around like that. I arranged them all with love, especially for you," she said setting the coffee cake down on the armoire by the door.

She went over and started cleaning them up, but I threw them back out of spite. After a few tries, she sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Perhaps you need some more sleep, darling," she suggested as she pet my head.

And that was when I began to feel tired. Extremely tired. My eyes fluttered down and I couldn't bring myself to resist the feeling. So much to my reluctance, while she began picking up and rearranging the stuffed animals, I dozed off.


	7. Memory Gap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others finally come to, and it's clear something's amiss, and so is someone.

A few moments after Mystic ran out, the others woke up, confused.

"What the hell?" Colleen rubbed her head.  
"What happened?"

C.P. looked confused.

"I....I don't know.....but I feel like I'm forgetting something....."

"Why does my cheek hurt?" Delta wondered aloud.

"I'll get you something to help, hon," Colleen said as she ran to the bathroom.

There were five others, though, that seemed to be relatively aware of the situation. They were upset, but also confused.

"Where's Mystic?" Nikita asked.

But Ivy was furious.

"She ran out after ye all laffed at 'er!" Ivy spat.  
"An' not te mention everyfin' she 'ad te put up wiff fer the past week. Shame on ye! All a ye!"

Everyone looked at each other, confused as hell, and even a little hurt.

"You've been treating her like garbage for the past week," Cyrille explained calmly.

"How do you know about this?" Safiya asked curiously.  
"Why didn't you get affected?"

"We still don't really know," Ro shrugged.  
"We just have a feeling that there's a pattern."

"Wait....." Alice gulped.  
"What....happened?"

They told them everything; the pancakes, the coal mines, the gaslighting, the bullying. The empaths were near tears.

"Okay, that's.....that's horrific," Colleen sniffled, tears rolling down her face as she gave Delta ice surrounded by a cloth to help with the pain.  
"I feel like such a bitch....."

"I have to admit....." Delta sighed, trying not to cry.  
"Even I haven't been treated _that_ badly by you all. I've just been complaining for nothin---"

"Okay hon, I'm gonna have to stop right there," Nikita sighed.  
"You're comparing Fenty Beauty to a store name brand. Her struggles do not invalidate your own. We've been bitches to you by ignoring you. You've been struggling too."

Delta was silent for a moment.

"Okay, but constant hypothermia.....daily splinters......barely any protective gear."

"You're still struggling, honey. Her. Struggles. Do. Not. Invalidate. Your. Own."

This confused Delta a bit. Why was Nikita being supportive of her all of a sudden? But she didn't need to wait for an answer; Nikita seemed to have read her mind.

"Struggles are struggles; we all go through shit, and we....really need to be there for each other more."

The others nodded a bit sheepishly. 

"Okay, but what I'm struggling with is what commonality the six of us have," Cyrille said.  
"I don't know if anyone else had some suspicions or--"

"Oh crap!"

All of a sudden, Colleen seemed to have a realization.

"I....I remember now....I felt iffy for a bit too.....but I wanted to give her a chance, so....I went along with it.....something deep down kept telling me not to trust that bitch."

"An eighth?!" Lydia exclaimed.  
"But what the hell do we all have in common?"

They all gave this some thought. 

"Age is out of the question?" Montana asked.

They nodded.

"So's height, and eye color, and everything else....." Cyrille said.

"Well, you're all female," Alice pointed out.

"True, but if that were the factor, a lot of you would be aware of what happened," Ro added.

"But it's literally just five of us. Well, it was six at one point."

"Six?" Nikita questioned.

Ro nodded.

"Delta questioned it too, but then suddenly did a 180 after Delilah started fawning over her."

The one in question blinked in confusion. 

"I did?"

"Yeah, and you and Mystic ended up getting into a fight just a few moments ago," Lydia answered.

"W-well, where is she now?"

"We don't know."

"So many questions and so few answers," Alice sighed.  
"There has to be something we missed."

The group began to think when Delta seemed to notice something.

"Ivy? Why are you fidgeting with your hands?"

Ivy looked up, seemingly confused.

"What?" she asked.

Delta pointed at her hands.

"You've got them in a fist, and you're kinda rotating them on your middle phalanges."

"Nerd," Candy Pop coughed.

Delta gave him a glare, and then looked back to Ivy who shrugged.

"I dunno. I kinda just do it when I'm finkin' or when I'm nervous. It's somefin' I done since I was a kid."

Then probably the least likely person to contribute something.....actually contributed something.

"Wait.....what if the commonality isn't physical or anything to do with weight or gender or whatever? What if it's internal?"

A lot of the others looked confused, but it seemed that Sugarbelle got the idea.

"Something about the mind!" she gasped.

"Bingo!" Candy Pop said. 

The others looked around, still puzzled. 

"Think about it," Sugarbelle continued before pointing at herself.  
"I think different. I do things different because of it. I speak different because of it. It's our brains! We're not typical-minded."

"Not typical--?" Lydia began before gasping.  
"Shit! She's right. Isn't the kid autistic?"

Sugarbelle nodded which gave Delta the spark.

"I'm autistic as well!"

"Same here!" Cyrille added.

"Count me in that club as well," Lydia said.

"Okay, but if it's autism," Colleen said.  
"That still doesn't explain--"

But then it dawned on Ro and her eyes widened.

"Oh my Gosh.....I could see it because I'm dyslexic!"

"But then that leaves Ivy and I," Colleen said.

"Well, do you have any disabilities?" Safiya asked.

Colleen nodded.

"I have ADHD."

Everyone seemed to be grasping it, except for Ivy.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" she said.  
"That still don't explain 'ow I can....."

And then she seemed to reflect on something.

"What...what are some a the symptoms a disabilities?"

Cyrille shrugged.

"They vary from person to person."

"Her stimming!" Sugarbelle gasped.

She pointed at the fists, causing Ivy to look down.

"Wait....is that what it is? I always fought it was just an 'abit."

"You said you did it when nervous, right?"

She nodded and Sugarbelle gasped excitedly.

"Autism or ADHD!"

Hearing this, Ivy blinked.

"What? Me? But....what?"

"Wait a second," Matpat piped up.  
"Alice, did Envy say anything about Ivy? Like about when they were kids?"

The girl in question pondered this.

"He didn't indicate her by name, but it was a safe bet they were about Ivy."

"What did he say?" Safiya asked.

"She had a tendency to fidget and couldn't sit still. She got into fights a lot at school. When she got rejected for something she cared a lot about, it would upset her. She couldn't focus on a subject unless it really interested her. She had a tendency to lose track of time. She used to have poor attention problems, but they got better after she started getting better at sword-fighting. Come to think of it, her training to be a pirate and use a sword seemed to help a lot, as well as practicing hypnotism. I think he said she'd also talk nonstop about swords, the sea, pirates, treasures, things of that nature."

They turned to Ivy.

"Is this true?" Nikita asked her.

The pirate princess was stunned.

"'Ow....'Ow did 'e remember all that?" she gasped.

"Wait, so that's all true?" Cyrille asked.

Ivy nodded.

"Okay, I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist or anything," Colleen said.  
"But that sounds like ADHD."

For the first time, Ivy seemed to be at a complete lost for words. 

"Ivy?" Cyrille asked in concern.  
"You good, fam?"

She kinda blinked.

"Sorry, I'm just.....I'm tryin' te retain that, but....it's just not settin' in. Is....is that possible?"

"A lot of things are possible," Montana sighed.  
"Just look at the dumpster fire that was 2020."

"But.....me......'avin' a disability.....?"

"Your girlfriend's got the same thing," Candy Pop chimed in.  
"And she's autistic."

This only stunned her more, and then something seemed to strike her.

"Oh God.....what if love found out I was questionin' if I 'ad a disability? It's just.....I don't.....I don't even wanna say it, I'm worried that I'll 'urt 'er....."

She was trying to swallow down the tears, trying to think of anything to change the subject. Then she remembered Mystic was still missing. Immediately, she got up and ran off.

"Great, _more_ chasing," Candy Pop huffed as the others got up to follow her. 

"You can stay back here by yourself," Lydia smirked as she rushed ahead.

Candy Pop blinked, thinking about those cutesy elves finding him, and he shuddered.

"Nah, I'm good," he said quickly before following.


	8. I Just Can't Wait to Get the Fuck Out of Here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm lonely and I have mommy issues. How'd you guess?

I felt myself stir. My eyes fluttered open and I found I was still in that four-poster, canopied nightmare of a bed. Delilah still had me in her care. 

And she was petting my head.

_Do....do these villains have no concept of consent?_

"Good morning, darling," she smiled.  
"Did you sleep well?"

I did, surprisingly, but I wasn't going to admit that to her.

"I saved the coffee cake piece for you. It's in the oven. Would you like to eat it now?"

And _why_ should I trust her, especially with food? I just turned on my side.

"Oh, come now, my dear. I just want the very best for you."

"Then let me go. Let us _all_ go."

"I'm afraid that I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm worried for you. Who's going to be your mother figure if you leave?"

_Likely someone much, much better._

"If you stay with me, you'd never have to worry about feeling unloved ever again. I'd be able to give you everything you want and need. All I ask is that you stay and love me. I don't think that's too much to ask of you, do you?"

That felt like a red flag.

"Actually, for a woman who emotionally abused me for the past week, it fucking _is_ too much to ask of me," I spat.  
"I don't fuck around when it comes to emotional abuse!"

Delilah seemed confused and hurt, but at this point, I was just focused on getting out and getting back to my friends. You know, the people who _actually_ love me.

"Don't act so surprised. You know you're a toxic bitch."

"There's no need for such language, my dear child."

"And there was no need to make me feel like shit!"

"How else was the plan going to work?"

"Maybe that was a sign that you shouldn't have gone through with it to begin with."

"But I need the love you give."

"You barely know me."

"I can tell in your heart that you're a loving girl, and I just want some of that for myself."

"You can't force me to give it to you."

"And I'm not."

"Of course, because trapping me in here isn't forcing me to give it to you."

"You can try to leave, but I'm not saying I won't try to get you back. Here, let me get you something to eat."

She got up and went to the kitchen. That was my cue. I rolled out of bed, and went out the opposite doorway only to find....

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

The room was like Minos' labyrinth. There were so many doors and hallways. How the hell was I supposed to find my way out? If I was trying to find my way _in_ , using string or thread might not be a bad idea, but I wanted out, not in. 

"Guess I'll have to hope for the best."

And in I went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is short, but I wanna get a move on. I'll probably edit this later.


	9. Elves Abound and Safe at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group spies an old enemy, and two manage to make it to safety.

The others dashed off after Ivy, who was desperately searching everywhere for Mystic. And yet she was doing it in such a way that she wasn't getting caught? 

_Could've sworn there were demented elves here last time we checked._

"Scary," Sugarbelle gulped.

"You and me both, but in different ways," he mumbled.

They came to a stop at a four-way intersection.

"Where now?"

That was when Delta had an idea.

"Jasmine? Can you track her scent?"

"I....I can try....."

The tiny tiger sniffed around, trying to pick up on Ivy's scent. Everyone was waiting with baited breath. The tiger herself, meanwhile, was using as much strength as she could to find her. 

"No dice...." she sighed.

All of a sudden, everyone's memories seemed to cut out. And the next thing everyone knew, three people were gone, leaving a corpse.

"Ciel!" Ro gasped.

"What happened?" Colleen exclaimed.  
"Where's Alice? Where's Candy Pop?"

At this point, Ivy had stopped and was looking defeated.

"They're.....gone....." she sighed.  
"It fer the best fer 'er, though...."

Everyone was speechless.

"Maybe they'll come back one day?" Ro suggested.  
"Or maybe jump in and out, just to see how we are?"

"Maybe.....at least they're safe now."

"At least she didn't die in a death challenge," Delta said.

"Damn," Cyrille sighed.  
"I barely knew them, but I'm glad they're somewhere safe."

Something seemed to shift in her suddenly, as in literally, it seemed as though she shifted roles in the story. 

"Did....did something just happen?" she asked.

They shrugged.

_"--back again, and we need to get what we've been after."_

"Shit," Ivy exclaimed.

_"Why didn't Delilah deliver her to us by now?"_

_"I don't know! She's a sentimental bitch, maybe she took her in."_

_"In that case, we'll have to behead her, and take Mystic back!"_

"Crap," Delta gulped.  
"This is bad, like extremely bad!"

"Yeah, I don't like the way things are sounding," Cyrille gulped.  
"We'd better get moving---"

Suddenly they heard a pounding on a door nearby.

_"What was that?"_

_"Sounded like it came from Deli's chambers."_

_"No better chance than now for a beheading, I guess."_

Cyrille rushed over to the door and fiddled with the doorknob.

"Let me help," Andrea volunteered.

The three, including the one on the other side, finally got the door open. Mystic burst out and into Andrea's arms, tears pouring down her face.

"What the fuck happened?"

Mystic could barely control her tears.

"Delilah.....she made you all----wait....where's Alice? Candy Pop?"

The others looked at each other, uncertain of what to say.

"Vee managed te get Alice an' C.P. out," Ivy finally spoke.

Mystic could feel her heart sink, but at the same time, there was hope.

"Well....she's safe now, right?"

Ivy nodded.

"Yeah, she is. So's Vee."

Hearing this, Mystic felt a mixture of grief and relief.

_She's safe at least. No more of this nightmare for either of them. Maybe she'll come back someday, but....._

"There's gotta be a way I can at least remain in contact with her," she sighed.  
"There has to be."

"We'll find a way," Ro assured her.  
"We always do."

Mystic nodded.

"Yeah.....yeah, we do. And she's safe now."

She swallowed her tears as Andrea rubbed her back.

"Anyway.....Delilah made you all act mean to me. She's some sort of....energy vampire."

"I had a feeling she was a bitch," Colleen fumed.

"And she's another wannabe mom."

" _Another?_ "

"Long story."

"Okay, it's great we're talking this through," Cyrille panicked.  
"But we probably shouldn't be hanging out in the halls like this. Look!"

Mystic peeked out and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. They were a decent enough distance that she could see them, but not close enough to make out their faces. However, the pointed ears said it all. 

"Those goddamn elves are back...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably be writing something that explains what happened. It's nothing against Alice, she made the choice to step out for her own reasons, and I'm going to respect that. Alice, you're an absolute sweetheart and I'm so grateful you're a part of my life; I consider you to be one of my best friends, and I want to stay in contact. Perhaps someday we could start an AU that's more peaceful or at least less draining, or even collaborate on something original. I guess we'll just have to see where life takes us.


End file.
